Huy (Belgium) (AFP)

A world champion at the top: Julian Alaphilippe remained master of the Huy wall on Wednesday at the finish of the Flèche Wallonne, which he won for the third time.

Unbeaten since 2018 on the scene, but absent in 2020, the Frenchman took the upper hand over two big names, the Slovenian Primoz Roglic, world number one, and the Spaniard Alejandro Valverde, the record holder for (five) victories in the classic Ardennes.

"I was able to save myself throughout the day, I knew what I had to do in the final", reacted the Frenchman, who thanked his teammates from the Deceuninck formation.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy with Roglic, and Valverde in the wheel."

On the final climb, a steep 1,300-meter slope, Roglic cleared away from the line, almost 400 meters.

The Slovenian, who discovered the wall of Huy, secured himself several steps ahead.

But, at the cost of a violent effort, Alaphilippe returned to the top to overflow it, despite a start from the Slovenian who had not turned around until then.

"This victory does me a lot of good," admitted the Frenchman, who so far had only one success, a Tirreno-Adriatico stage, in the balance sheet of his 2021 season.

In the classics, he had shown himself several times without being able to conclude.

Like the Amstel Gold Race, which he finished on Sunday in 6th place at the opening of the Ardennes week and his main meeting, the "Doyenne" (Liège-Bastogne-Liège), which will be Sunday his big goal.

- Without Pogacar or Hirschi -

"I hope for Liège but it's already more than successful," smiled Alaphilippe who, in five participations in the Flèche Wallonne since 2015, has three wins and two second places (behind Valverde).

"Congratulations to Julian", greeted Roglic, who did not want to go back on his choice to attack from a distance: "In such a hard climb, we have the legs or not, no need to wonder."

"I still want to win, of course, but I'm happy with my form", added the Slovenian, winner of the 2020 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, in which he had recovered in extremis Alaphilippe (then demoted), who thought he had won.

As usual, the Flèche came down to the final hill climb despite the resistance of the Dutchman Maurits Lammertink, who started in the initial breakaway and reached only 1400 meters from the finish.

In this exercise, the Canadian Michael Woods (4th) and the French Warren Barguil (5th), who were both classified in the first four last fall, when the event was postponed due to the pandemic, confirmed their ease.

They even did better than the young Briton Tom Pidcock (6th), in a good place for his debut despite a fall that occurred less than 30 kilometers from the finish.

The health context, which led the authorities to declare it closed in the wall of Huy, also deprived this 85th edition of the outgoing winner, the Swiss Marc Hirschi, and the winner of the Tour de France 2020, the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar.

Their UAE team was banned from starting due to the positive result of two of its members in tests carried out on Monday.

The other tests then carried out were negative, said the Emirati team, without obtaining the green light.

© 2021 AFP